Salt harvester



C. A. CUNNINGHAM, A. CHRISTENSEN, AND F. W. BARTLETT.

SALT HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT,20.1919.

1 1 1 1 u 5 m7 2 m 1n mm wm wfir S. M w 1 2 F m. a? w 4 R mM t n O A m (03 P L 7 C. A CUNNINGHAMQA. CHRISTENSEN, AND F. W. BARTLETTJ SALT HARVESTER.

APPLICATIQN HLED SEPT-20, 1919.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. A. CUNNINGHAM, A. CHRJSTENSEN, AND F. W. BARTLETT:

SALT HARVESTER.

APFUCATION FiLED SEPT, 20. 1919.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3,

UNITE CHARLES A. CUNNINGHAM, OF ALVARAIDO, ANDREW CHRISTENSEN, OF ALAMEDA,

NT; err:

AND FRANK W'. BARTLETT, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG-NORS TO CONTI- NENTAL SALT AND CHEMICAL COMPANY,

IPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

OF SAN FRANClSCO, CALIFORNIA, A 001%.

sALT-HAnvnsTER. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed se temberea-ima. Serial No. 325,263.

said BAR LETT at Berkeley, all of Alameda County, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salt Harvesters, ofwhich the following is Our invention relates to a harvester,

especially adapted to travel over the beds of. salt-ponds, and to penetrate, loosen, excavate, lift and dispose of the salt therefrom.

The objects of our invention are to .pro-

vide a machine capable ofpropelling itself 7 over the beds of salt-ponds, loosening and picking up the salt as it travels, and dumping the same into suitable vehicles or other means of conveyance; and further to pro:

vide, in such a machine, both the necessary weight to insure proper excavation of,

i the salt, and thereq uisite traction necessary I more or less wet salt beds ing 1n.

to enable the machine to travel over the without sink- I harvester.

Y Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the direction of the arrowsfon the line 33 of Fig. 1. V g V Fig. 4 is a vertical'sectional detail, en-

, larged, of the pick-roll andconveyer foot,

taken in the direction of the arrows on the a v j in one side and adapted to engage the wall line of Fig. 1. 7

' Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional detail of the f ignveyer chain, taken on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 6 isa longitudinal vertical section.

through one of the shaft joints showing the shaft in elevation.

wheels 2 and 3, upon a pair ofendless track chains'4, Figs. '1 and 2. These track chains maybe constructed in any well-hrcwn mam ner, and are preferably shod with wooden tread blocks- 5., topermit the employment of a comparatively wide and light track chain,

capable of properly supporting the machine upon the soft bed o'fthe salt pond, A sled Patented 1 60.21, 1922.

6, Fig. 2, operating on the' upper surface of r gears 11, alongitudinal shaft 12, and a fric- I tion bevel reversing mechanism '13, :to a transverse shaft.14; thence through .a pair of spur gears 15, a second transverse shaft 16, a set of selective-sliding gears 17, a third transverse sh'aft18, and a pair ofspur gears 19, to atransverse pinion shaft .20, Figs. 1 and 2. Said pinion shaft 20 carries apinion 21 at each end, each controlled by 'a'clutch mechanism indicated at 22, and each driving one of the rear track sprockets 3 through a gear 23. idlers. a V

In the rear-of the track chains 4 is carried a transversely disposed pick-roll 24, Figs.

onto the conveyer mechanism tobe hereinafter described. Said pick-roll 24 comprises a hollow shaft 25, having aspindle 26 ex- .tending from each end and journalled at 27.

;A series of staggered diametricalholes are drilled in said hollow shaft. 25, and through each ofsaid holes ispasseda double-ended pick 28, 4, having a notch 29 formed The front track sprockets 2 are ,1, 2 and'4, adapted to dig into andloosen i the salt, and to throw the same up and back oflsaidhollow shaft'25. A,wedge shaped" key 30, driven inbeside said pick 28,011

the side opposite said notch, locks said pick sprocket 3.3, Fig. 1, fixed upon the outer end .of a transverse shaft 34, said transverse shaft being driven, in turn, through a-pair of bevel gears '35 and a clutch 36 from a longitudinal shaft 37, whieh receives its slowly over the bed of the salt-pond.

power from the main shaft 12 through spurgears 38.

port cross frame members 39, from which is suspended the conveyer frame it), by means of adjustable rods d1, Figs. 2, 3, 4t and 5. Said rods 4:1 pass through tubular guides 42 secured in said cross frame members 39 and are threaded into hand wheels 43 by means of which said rods can be raised and lowered. Said rods l1 support longitudinal side members 44, to which the conveyer frame 40 is secured, and whichare connected with the tractor frame by longitudinal drag links 45, Figs. 1, 2 and l. The bearings 2'? of the pick roll 2st are also carried by said side members 44:.

The conveyor frame L0 supports a transversely disposed trough whose center portion 46, Fig. 8, is horizontal and positioned immediately to the rear of the pick-roll 24, and whose end portions 47 slope upwardly and end in delivery chutes 48. The hori zontal center portion 46 of said trough carries aforwardly extending foot 49, Fig. 4, adapted to dig through and under the salt loosened by the pick-roll 2 1, and to guide said loosened salt into said trough. A vertical shield 50, Figs. 8, 4C and 5, is provided at the rear of said trough to prevent the salt from passing through. i

The salt, thus deposited in the horizontal portion 16 of said trough, is carried up one or the other inclined end portions 47 by a pair of endless chains 51, Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, having spaced drag flights 52 secured to and extending transversely between them. These chains are carried on idler sprockets 53, Figs. 3 and 5'. and are driven, in either direction, by sproclrem 54., Fig. 23. mounted on the rear end of a universally jointed shaft 55, Figs. 1 and 2, which receives its power through a reversing clutch 56. and a pair of spur gears 57, from the longitudinal side shaft 87.

In operation, the machine propels itself The pick-M1124, rotating considerably faster than the driving wheels, digs into and loosens up the salt", and throws thezsame up and back into the horizontal portion 46 ofjthe conveyor trough. From there the salt is carried up either inclined end portion 4:7 of said trough, according to the direction of travel of the conveyor chains 51, and 1s dumped from one of the chutes 1-8 --into any. suitable receptacle or vehicle, not

shown in the drawings. The control mechanism may be arranged in any convenient manner, and is therefore not shown indetail in thedrawings. The

tractor is reversed by means of the bevel,

friction drive mechanism 13, Figs. 1 and 2; its speed is controlled by the selective sliding gears 17 and by the speed of the engine 7 and it is steered by releasing the driving power from one track chain or the other by means of the clutches 22. The piclrroll 24: is started and stopped by the clutch 36. The conveyer mechanism is controlled by the reversing clutch 56, and the entire conveyor frame is adjusted by means of the elevating screw hand wheels 43 to operate at the proper depth in the salt bed.

Although we have herein. described our iachine as a sal -harvester, it is obvious that it may be usec to loosen up, excavate and dispose of other material'as well.

We claim 1. A harvester comprising a tractor; a pick-roll driven by the tractor and having teeth. for penetrating, loosening and throwing a portion of the material to be har- 2. A. harvester comprising a tractor; a

pick-roll driven by the tractor and having teeth for penetrating, loosening and throwing a portion of the material to be harvested; a conveyer frame; a conveyer in said frame driven by the tractor for receiving and disposing; of said material; anexcavating foot carried by the conveyer frame, adapted to lift the remainder of the material loosened by the pick-roll and to deliver it to the conveyor; 2. frame carrying both the pick-roll and the conveyer frame; drag links connecting said carrying frame with the tractor; and means for adjnstably suspending said carrying frame from the.

tractor to regulate the depth of out of the pick-roll and the excavating foot. said means consisting of screw rods fit-ted at theirlower ends to the carrying, and at their upper ends to the tractor frame. and

hand nuts on theupper ends of the screwrods. v V

3. A harvester comprising a tractor: a pick-roll drivenbv the tractor and having teeth for penetrating loosening and throwing a portion of the material to be 1131. vested: a conveyor frame having a horizontal lower portion and upwardly inclined sides. each terminating in a delivery end; a conveyor in said frame; means driven by the tractor for effecting the travel of the conveyer in either direction; and an excavating foot carried by the horizontal portion of the conveyer frame, adapted to lift the remainder of the material loosened by the pick-roll and to deliver it to "the conveyer in said horizontal portion.

4. A harvesting machine comprising a tractor, vertically adjustable rods carried by the tractor, longitudinally extending bars connected to the rods, a shaft rotatably carried by the bars, teeth secured to the shaft, a conveyer, said conveyer comprising a horizontal center portion and upwardly extending inclined sideportions supported by the longitudinally extending bars, and means for adjusting the rods for simultaneously raising or lowering the teeth-carrying shaft and conveyor.

5. A harvesting machine comprising a tractor including a frame having rearwardly extending portions, cross beams secured to the rearwardly extending portions, vertically adjustable rods extending through the cross beams, longitudinally extending bars connected to the rods, a shaft rotatably mounted on the bars, teeth secured to the shaft, a conveyor carried by the bars, means for adjusting the rods to simultaneously raise or lower the teeth-carrying shaft and conveyor, and drag links connecting the longitudinally extending bars to the tractor.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in'the presence of two subscribing witnesses; 7

CHARLES A. CUNNINGHAM.. ANDREWV CHRISTENSEN. FRANK N. BARTLETT. Witnesses:

L. LARGENT, V. S. HARDY. 

